Mrs.
Ella J. Crawford, 67, wife of Nal M. Crawford, Grand Saline
attorney, died Wednesday night at a Dallas hospital after a
long illness. She was born in Georgia and lived in Van Zandt
County for forty-five years, taking an active role in affairs
of the Main Street Baptist Church.

Funeral services will be held at Grand Saline at 3 p.m. Thursday with the Rev. Robert Fling and the Rev. John T. Key officiating. [Source: Dallas Morning News, April 14, 1938, Submitted by: Christina Anthony]

Grand
Saline Merchant Dies

Grand Saline, Texas, June 11.--E. L. Dorough, 66, pioneer Grand Saline merchant, died suddenly here shortly after noon Monday. Mr. Dorough had been in business in Grand Saline for forty years. He is survived by his wife and four children. Funeral services have not yet been arranged. [Source: Dallas Morning News, June 12, 1934, Submitted by: Christina Anthony]

J. W. Germany Dies At Grand Saline Home.

Grand
Saline, Texas, July 7.--J. W. Germany, 86, Captain in the
Fortieth Mississippi Regiment during the Civil War, died here
Tuesday. Funeral services will be held at 3 o'clock Wednesday
at the Grand Saline Methodist Church.

Mr. Germany settled at Edom in Van Zandt County in 1866. In the early '80s he went to West Texas where he became County Judge of Nolan County and organized Fisher County. He was a stanch supporter of Jim Hogg. He had been living in Grand Saline for thirty years. Mr. Germany took an active interest in lodge and church affairs. He served in some official capacity in Methodist church for a period of over seventy years. He was made a Mason at Edom, oldest lodge in this section of the State, in 1874.

He is survived by his wife and three children, Mrs. Hal Kennedy of Grand Saline, Eugene Germany of Dallas, and Garvin Germany of Austin, Julius Germany, a Dallas attorney, who was his oldest son, died two years ago. [Source: Dallas Morning News, July 8, 1931, Submitted by: Christina Anthony]

Grand Saline Motorist Is Killed in Collision.

Grand Saline, Texas, May 17.--Gaston Payne of Grand Saline was instantly killed Thursday morning two miles west of town when his car collided with one driven by a man named Simmons who was attempting to pass a truck and tried to take to the ditch when he saw the Payne car approaching from the opposite direction.

Mr. Payne is survived by his wife and two children. One son, Walter, is valedictorian of this year's graduating class in Grand Saline High School. [Source: Dallas Morning News, May 18, 1934, Submitted by: Christina Anthony]

Death of an Old Newspaper man.

Wills Point, Tex., Nov. 18.--R. J. Ridgell, Esq., of Edom died of pneumonia yesterday morning, after a very short illness. His remains passed through here today, being taken to Terrell for Interment. Mr. Ridgell was an old newspaper man, having been connected with newspapers here, Athens and Plano.

There is prevailing here now a dense smoke, which is distressing. The sun appears perfectly red, so dense is the smoke. [Source: Dallas Morning News, November 19, 1887, Submitted by: Christina Anthony]

Fruitvale Rites Held For Oldest Resident

Fruitvale, Texas, Jan. 2.--Funeral services for Mrs. Nancy Jane Shields, 82, oldest resident of Fruitvale and one of the oldest natives of Van Zandt County, were held here.

Mrs. Shields was born Nov. 25, 1866, and was a daughter of the late Joe G. Cox and Mary Reader Cox, pioneer citizens of Van Zandt County. She lived all her life near her birthplace south of Grand Saline. She was a member of the Primitive Baptist Church.

Surviving are two sons, W. J. Shields of George West, Live Oak County, Texas, and John I. Shields of Fruitvale, and a daughter, Mrs. Katie Cline of Fruitvale. [Source: Dallas Morning News, January 3, 1949, Submitted by: Christina Anthony]

Fruitvale Postmaster Dies.

E.H. Whitten, Pioneer Resident of Texas, Expires After Illness of Several Weeks.

Special to the News.

Fruitvale,
Van Zandt Co., Texas, April 2.--E.V. Whiitten, postmaster at
this place for eighteen years died at the home of his daughter,
Mrs. J.F. Hawkins, Thursday night after an illness of several
weeks. The deceased was an ex-Confederate soldier and a
pioneer of Texas, moving from Kempter County, Mississippi, to
Freestone County in 1868, settling near Cotton Gin, about five
miles northwest of the present town of Teague.

The deceased is survived by a son, L.L. Whitten, and daughter, Mrs. J.F. Hawkins, and three grandchildren and two sisters, Mrs. Mary Crews of Navaro and Mrs. J.M. Day of Teague.

The body was buried Friday, in the will far exceed the supply alloted to Mr. [Whitten's] wife, who died five years ago.

Out of respect to the deceased all business houses were closed all day Friday and the public school was dismissed. The deceased had been a reader of The Dallas News for many years. [Source: Dallas Morning News, April 3, 1916, Submitted by: Christina Anthony]

Death
notice for Dixie (Key) Finley

A GOOD WOMAN PASSES AWAY

It
is with sincere regret that we chronicle the death of Mrs. Dixie
Finley (nee Key), which sad event occurred last week at her home
in Ben Wheeler, Van Zandt County, Texas. While it was
known that she had been in low health for several months, yet
the telegram to her father, Dr. M. H. KEY, announcing her death
was a severe shock to her relatives and friends; of the latter
she had many, and all who knew her loved her. She was a true,
loving daughter, and affectionate wife and mother. To the
grief-stricken relatives, husband and mother-loss little one we
tender condolence. Dallas
Morning News, Jan. 18, 1894
Submitted by SD

Mrs. Y.A. Douglass

Quanah,
Nov. 11 (Special) - Funeral services for Roy T. Samson, 78, of
Quanah, will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the
First
Baptist
Church
here with Dr. W. E. Norman, pastor, officiating.

Burial
will be in
Quanah
Cemetery
, under direction of Knowles Funeral Home of Quanah.

Mr.
Samson, a long time merchant here, died Monday night in
Memorial
Hospital
, after an illness of several days. He had been in failing health
for several months.

Born
March 10,
1880, in
Van Zandt County, Tex., Mr. Samson moved to Quanah 61 years ago to
help his uncle operate a butcher shop. Later he became a
bookkeeper, sold real estate and did construction work before he
opened Samson Furniture and Hardware Store in 1911. This store is
now operated by his son Roy B. Samson.

Survivors
are his wife, Maud; two daughters, Mrs. Oran Mowrey of Paducah and
Mrs. Al Chambers of Littlefield; a son, Roy B. Samson; three
brothers, Earl Samson of Bowie, Walker Samson of Grand Saline and
O. E. Samson of Shreveport, La., and five grandchildren.